Details for Tasks For Esther |
Summary: | In the wake of the public airing of Slytherin Laundry, Medusa steps in to keep Esther from making an ultimately self-destructive move - Instead, offering a plan. |
Date: | 1939-02-27 |
Location: | Viaduct Bridge, Hogwarts |
Related: | Queens, Kings and Puppetstrings calls for an answer. |
Characters |
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Medusa is standing on on the wooden bridge playing a game with her owl Daphne. She sends Daphne out one side of the bridge and she flies up and over then through the window behind Medusa and lands on her shoulder. The pair are alone, aside for the rather addle-brained Gertie, for whom the game was designed but is instead taking great pleasure in walking backwards in circles around Medusa's feet. Before coming out with the birds she sent a note off to Esther, asking the other girl to meet her after lessons on Thursday.
Esther arrives… Not looking down. Not sheepish. Her gaze is direct, smokey grey and almost confrontational. There's an anger that seethes beneath the surface of little Miss Lowe; clearly she's heard back from the third of the house that enjoyed the public meeting. Or any one else who heard the open slander. "Medusa;" She greets, her voice still showing the kind affection she has for her informal house leader. "You sent for me?"
"I did." Medusa looks up from shaking her head at Gertie's antics and levels her steel blue gaze on Esther. "We need to talk. Things are escalating and I don't want you to implode or throw yourself on some kind of sacfificial fire. Plans are in place."
"The fire looks good." Esther states immediately. "Between Silas revealing his true colours and Jenny progressing to a full-blown bitch, lighting something big and dangerous seems /exactly/ like what I want to do." The girl briefly looks a little awkward for a moment, looking to Medusa. "… You. Me. Black. They dragged us through the mud. /In/ /Public/." Not in the house. Not /their/ way.
"Those are different things entirely. Genevive Solomon has some kind of obsessive fixation on me and has for a while now. I expected her to make a move." Medusa fishes a bit of broken biscuit from her pocket and feeds it to Daphne. "It was an interesting gambit, her making her move through Silas. The more you publically react to her, Esther, the more important she becomes. She is not important. She is a rather misguided, overly sexualised and boring little girl trying desperately to make everyone see she is a grown up." The blonde turns her head towards Esther. "You cannot make battles public. That is not the Slytherin way. If you want to get her, you plan meticulously and you do so while all the while ignoring her otherwise. Frankly, she is as insigificant to me as a bead of sweat is to a giant."
Esther blushes faintly, the frustration evident in the young woman. "She slandered me openly. In public. She's insignificant, she's a worthless piece of shit, and she openly slandered me." Her hands balled into fists. It takes a deep breath for her to regain control. And release her tension. "… I don't like it. That someone who is /nothing/ can speak like that and not expect severe consequences. And I feel that not reacting, not responding, will only make her bolder." A pause. "But… You are right, Medusa." A sigh. "Attacking her directly only gives her substance she doesn't deserve."
"You have to let it go. Everytime you lose your temper," Medusa rephrases, but essentially repeats herself to emphasise her point, "everytime you fly off the handle you add fuel to the fire against you, Esther. You are not crazy, but they have managed to convince people you are. What you are, is emotional and that needs to stop. Do whatever it takes, but reign it in. I don't care if you have to bite your tongue until it bleeds. I care about you I truly do despite what Silas might think, but I will not let your wild emotional state lead to an escalation in things." A firmness becomes evident in her tone. "Slytherin is greater than all of us and our problems. Its traditions are sacred and must be upheld. I will not let anyone, and I mean anyone, brings us into further disrepute." Medusa lifts a brow. "Is that clear?"
"I am… Able to do so." Esther admits, "I'll keep my mouth shut. I won't react." She finally weakens enough to glance down. "I'll behave. I just… The hubris of them. Holding a public meeting…" Esther swallows. "So… How can I help, Medusa? You have my word, I can control it."
Medusa nods. "Good." She looks out of the arched frame of the bridge and sends Daphne off on another flight. "Now tell me everything you know about Genevive Solomon. Just facts."
"Facts?" Esther shakes her head. "Almost nothing. She's vain, and manipulative person. She likes to play off the fact that people think she's just a pretty face. There's very little she's above. And she used to have a considerable drinking problem. She's openly disrespectful of anyone she thinks thinks they're better than her." The wild-haired girl shakes her head. "She's over-confident, and far too impressed with herself."
The Malfoy waves a dismissive hand. "All interpretations. We need facts. That is where you can get people." Her mouth shifts into a moue. "An alcoholic? Interesting. Undoubtedly her love and devotion for Silas helped cure her of that." The sarcasm dripping from her words is sharp enough to cut flesh. Medusa turns to look at Esther. "We can likely work with that. Anything else? Who is she swanning around with now?" The perception of course is that Medusa pays attention to all gossip, but in truth she only pays attention to gossip about people of import, clearly Jenny is not one of them.
"I… I don't know. I know she left Silas for their mutual friend Marcus. And then reunited with Silas, if only briefly." Esther shakes her head. "I try to ignore news of her. I also suspect that she had an… Interest, in Myrus Lowe." She commits to using his full name, as she admits the last piece of information. "… Silas said that their relationship fell apart the first time because he was attached. Forced an issue, and got what he wanted." That earns the slightest blush. To hell with his confidence. The man orchestrated the betrayl of both of them. Fuck him.
"Go on," encourages Medusa. "If you want her to be dealt with properly we need a dossier, Esther. We also need one on Silas." She leans over and lifts Gertie up off her back, brushing a bit of durt off of the owl's feathers with tender care. "Silly girl," she coos to the owl.
Esther frowns. "Silas believes he is an agent of truth. A victim of life, a survivor, a victor." Almost verbatim, Esther recites the life story that Silas gave her. "He's obsessed with trust. I… I think it's his weakness, more than pride even."
"I have a job for you Esther." Medusa turns to look at her. "I need you to think carefully before accepting. It will require you to do precisely as I instruct for the next few weeks, of not slightly longer." She reaches into a pocket and withdraws a bit of parchment. "You will not be allowed to tell anyone, aside from Ria or myself what you are doing."
"I'm yours." Esther states simply. "You have my full support, Medusa. And my promise of secrecy." The girl murmurs. Head slightly bowed. "And my obedience."
Medusa sighs, even as she gives the letter to Esther. "For Merlin's sake I don't want a dog. I just want you to keep your trap shut and do these things. Now read it and tell me if you can do it or not."
Esther shakes her head. She doesn't touch the 'dog' comment. After she's finished, she re-reads it, and then slowly rolls it back up. She's used to destroying parchment. "Incendio." She withdraws her wand, and touches the tip to the parchment. It bursts into flame as she lets go of it, and the girl nods. "Easier done than said.
Medusa nods. "It is time to move on, Esther. Myrus is unhinged. Hopefully this will help get him out of your life." She offers another tiny bit of biscuit to Daphne. "What do you know about Dastan Meliflua? I don't much fancy blondes so he's not been one of mine." Medusa is lying somewhat, there are a fair few fair-headed boys in her past, but for whatever reason she isn't saying the seventh year was never one of them.
"Nothing helpful." Esther retrieves a cigarette case from her pocket, clicking it open and revealing a dozen perfectly rolled little cylinders. One is retrieved for herself, and the case is offered towards the older Slytherin. "… Guessing he's playing for family though. Far as Myrus is concerned, it's for the best. I… I do want to make him suffer. More than suffer… For harming Lucretia." The girl admits, shaking her head. "I am lucky Zayn is in my life. Pacifism makes for an excellent motive."
"Poor Myrus seems to have more things to worry about these days." Medusa nuzzles Daphne as the owl pushes her head against her. "It is best for you both to move on. When you are young you make bad choices. The key is to learn from them and move on. Be the bigger person."
"I will." Esther clicks the case closed, then, and raises her wand instead - Muttering 'incendio' again, to light the cigarette. Drawing deeply, and then exhaling. "I'm learning. Fast as I can. "
"Closure is a beautiful thing. Who knows," Medusa lifts her other, non owl perch shoulder in a shrug, "years from now you two might be able to be friends again. But it has to start with being civil." She looks over at Esther. "Besides, I like Scarlet. It cannot be kind to her, all this squabbling."
Esther doesn't like being the first person to lay down her arms. Her inner activist finds it offensive. It's only because she has faith in Medusa that she's willing to do it at all. Still so much to learn. She merely nods, and inhales slowly. "I think she doesn't mind so much. She hasn't much love for either of us."
"We cannot assume," even though Medusa just did that. "She is afterall, the other Lowe in this equation and the other Slytherin in the family. We look after our own in our house, even ones we do not like. Silas needs to learn that if he ever wants to be an effective leader."
"You're far more forgiving than I could ever be, Medusa." Esther bites her lower lip a moment, tapping her ash against the side of the bridge. "I guess because you know that any problems as start here remain for the next year and a half… And I can't seem to see past next week. I've a bridge to repair, though, so I'd best see to that." The girl has her orders.